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Firestone Unveils New Trailer Graphics For Historic Convoy

Nashville, Tenn. (June 22, 2006) - Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is participating in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) 50th Interstate anniversary convoy with two tractor trailers, and Firestone is unveiling new graphics for both trailers for the historic event.

One side of the trailer honors President Eisenhower for his vision in signing the bill creating our modern interstate system in 1956. The other showcases Harvey S. Firestone and his 1918 dream to “Ship by Truck,” encouraging America to move its products to market by truck. The artwork is reversed on the second trailer, so people visiting ceremonies planned along the route or passing the convoy on the highway can easily view both Eisenhower and Firestone graphics from one side.

Firestone’s new “Ship by Truck” logo is on the back doors of both trailers, and the AASHTO logo is affixed to the tractors’ sleeper cabs.

AASHTO is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Interstate System with a truck convoy traveling from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. The route retraces, in reverse, the first Transcontinental Motor Train that tested the army’s ability to move troops and supplies cross-country in 1919.

When the motor train traveled through northeastern Ohio, Harvey S. Firestone, founder of Firestone Tire & Rubber, invited the young Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower and his men to stop for dinner. The event gave Firestone and Eisenhower a chance to meet, share ideas and ultimately, strike up a friendship. The next morning, Firestone himself added two trucks with pneumatic tires to the convoy.

Fast-forward 87 years, and again, Firestone has two trucks with pneumatic tires participating in this new cross-country convoy. This time, the caravan will be stopping in Akron, Ohio on June 26 at the Bridgestone Firestone Technical Center. Great-grandsons Andrew Firestone and Merrill Eisenhower Atwater will speak at the event.

For images of the new trailer graphics, please click on the following link: http://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/corporate/news/releaseimages/convoy.htm

About Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC:
Nashville-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and associate brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America.